Top 25 Cities for Employee Satisfaction

St. Louis, Mo. ranks twenty-second with an overall satisfaction rating of 3.2 out of 5, a compensation and benefits rating of 3.2, and a career opportunities rating of 3.0. With regards to the business outlook for the next six months, 44 percent believe it is getting better, 32 percent believe it will stay the same, and 24 percent believe it is getting worse. There are about 3,445 employers currently hiring in the area.

Where in the U.S. will you find the most satisfied employees? And what makes them so satisfied in their jobs? For job seekers looking to relocate or launch their career, Glassdoor has released its second annual "Employment Satisfaction Report Card by City (2014)," offering a comparison by city of overall employee satisfaction, number of employers hiring, business outlook expectations and more, according to local employees in the 50 largest U.S. metros.

Based on local employee feedback shared over the past 12 months, the San Francisco Bay Area takes the lead for the second year in a row, with San Jose, California ranking #1 (3.5 employment satisfaction rating) and San Francisco, California taking #2 (3.4). Both cities are home to several companies that won a 2014 Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award, honoring the 50 Best Places to Work.

Washington, D.C. (3.4) jumps two spots from #5 on last year’s report to #3 this year, followed by Norfolk, Virginia(3.4) at #4 (up 8 spots from #12 last year) and Salt Lake City, Utah (3.4) rounding out the top five. (Ratings based on a 5-point scale: 1.0=very dissatisfied, 3.0=OK, 5.0=very satisfied).

Interestingly, Salt Lake City (#5) ranks #1 when it comes to employee optimism for business outlook. Fifty-two percent of Salt Lake City employees believe business will improve in the next six months. Local employees report several benefits of working in Salt Lake City, including enjoying a healthy work-life balance, in part comprised of working reasonable hours and being able to take advantage of the beautiful city and outdoors.